Sébastien Chaigneau
Ultra-Trailer
Athletics roundtable : Can we beat time?
As a successful ultra-trail athlete and an energetic outdoor enthusiast, Sebastien runs 150-200 km every week, but wherever in the world he finds himself, he always steps out with the same objectives: to be dazzled by nature, to discover new places, to explore his body’s potential and to share his challenges with others.
Athletes are always looking to push their limits, to surpass themselves and beat out the competition. Most of them also try to be as far ahead as possible, even trying to beat the stopwatch. The purpose is to train to the point where they have total control over their body allowing them to excel in their specialty. Like a conductor, the top athlete is a coordinator. The athlete keeps their breathing and the rhythm of their movements in harmony, creating precise actions to gain efficiency, whilst sparing their energy for the final burst of adrenaline. They gradually refine their metabolism to deal with the intensity of their expended effort, sometimes to the point of suffering. They learn to focus under any circumstance, to give their best when the time comes. Each performance is a creation. Sometimes a record can be broke. But in our eternal race against the clock, can we really beat time?